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(No Model.)

B. A. CANNON.

LABEL HOLDER. No. 374,395. Patented Dec. 6, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. CANNON, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCLARENCE B. HANNA, OF SAME PLACE.

LABEL-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,395, dated December6, 1887.

Application filed April 4, 1887. Serial No. 233,685. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown thatI, EDWARD A. CANNON, acitizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of Minneapolis, county of Hcnnepin, State ofMinnesota, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inLabel-Holders, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to label-holders, and has for its object to providea secure and efficient removable holder for labels which are designed toindicate the names of owners of letter-boXes, the contents ofpigeon-holes and filecases, and similar purposes.

My invention is in the nature of animprovement on the construction shownand described in my Patent No. 327,763, of date October 6, 1885; and itconsists in the peculiar device hereinafter described and particularlyclaimed.

In the drawings, like letters referring to like parts throughout, Figure1 is a front view ofa letter-box or file-case, showing my label-holderin position. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof a por-. tion of theletter-box, giving an edge view of the spring-clasp or hooked tongue fordetachably securing the holder in position. Fig. 3is a plan ofthe holderdetached. Fig. 4 is an end view of the holder, and Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of a slight modification wherein I show a metallic facing onthe wood directly under the sp ring-clasp.

A is a post-office letter-box, desk pigeonhole, or file-case. a a arethe vertical and b b are the horizontal walls of the same.

B is the label-holder, which is composed of thin sheet metal, preferablynickel plated, which is stamped out of a shape to fold into the desireddesign, such as to give a retaining fold or loop for holding the label,with its central front portion cut away for exposing the same. Atitsextremities the holder B is preferably provided withlongitudinally-projecting lugs 1), formed by the continuation of theback portions of the longitudinal folds. The label is slipped into theholder from either end, each of which is open, as shown in Fig. 4.

C is a metallic spring-clasp, which is cut away on its interior face at0, so as to form a suitable groove or seat for the ends of the holder orlugs b, and is provided with an outwardlyvertical partitions at theirlower extremities.

The inner faces of the clasps will then lie flush against the outerfaces of the vertical walls of the pigeon-hole or letter-box, and theirupper extremities will spring outward sufficiently far to allow thelabel to be inserted into or removed from the seat 0 at will. It will bereadily understood, of course, that if it be desired to use thelabel-holder on the front end of a drawer or thelid of abox or closedpigeonhole the spring-clasps may be as readily ap plied thereto in therelative positions necessary to bring the holder where desired.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the clasp is shown as ap' plied directly to the wood,and this is theway in which it will ordinarilybe used; but ifit is foundthat the clasp wears unduly into the wood a metallic facing may beplaced on the wood, as shown in Fig. 5, directly under the clasp.

The operation of the device is clear from the description already given.The label having been placed in the holder, the holder is set with itslower edges against the cam-surface c' and is pressed downward. Thespring-clasps will yield outward until the holder falls into the seat a,when the hook will clasp over the upper edge of the holder andsecurelyretain it in position. When so desired, it may be readily removed bypulling the springs outward and raising the holder upward, or by'at thesame time pulling the holder outward and raising it upward.

The holder is shown with the lugs]; andthe clasp-hooks over the top ofthe same; but it will be readily understood that the seat 0 may bemade-larger, the lugs dispensed with, and the hook be made to clasp overthe top of the whole holder.

' I have found by experience that this simple form of detachablysecuring label-holders to letter-boxes, pigeon-holes, and similarreceptacles is efficient, satisfactory, and very economical. It fills aneed much feltin post offices, railroad-offices, drug-stores, and in alllarge offices Where a great number of file-cases are in constant use,the customary method of pasting on the labels being utterly unreliableand all other devices being complicated and costly in comparison withmine.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Let' ters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

1. In combination with alctter-box, pigeonhole frame, or similarreceptacle, a removable label-holder and independent spring-claspsrigidly secured at one extremity to said receptacle and having theirfree ends engaging the opposite ends ofsaid holder and clamping the sameto the receptacle, whereby the labelholder is detachably secured to thereceptacle.

2. In combination with a letter-box, pigeonhole frame, or similarreceptacle, the removable label holder B and the independentspringclasps 0, provided with the holderseat c and hooks on the innerfaces of their free ends, said clasps being rigidly secured to saidreceptacle at one end and engaging the extremities of the said holderwith their other or free ends, substantially as described, whereby theholder may be securely and detachably connected to the receptacle.

3. In combination with a letter-box, pigeonhole frame, or similarreceptacle, the removable label-holder B, provided'with the end lugs ortenons, b, and the spring bracketclasps 0, provided with the holder-seatc and the camsurfaced hook c, said clasps being adapted to grasp anddetachably retain said holder, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

EDlVARD A. CANNON.

In presence of- EMMA F. ELMORE, J. F. XVILLIAMsoN.

